In what could provide a fillip to the moribund humanities streams students reading arts have done exceptionally well in the West Bengal Higher Secondary examinations, 2018.
Breaking established tradition an arts student has topped the WBHS examinations, with near-full marks while another arts student has bagged the joint first rank among the girls.
Granthan Sengupta from Jalpaiguri Zilla School has scored 99.2 percent marks getting 496 out of 500. Those coming second and third however are from Science stream. Ritwik Kumar Sahoo has come second with 98.6 percent marks getting 493 while Timir Baron Das and Saswata Roy have jointly come third.
Granthan who had History, Geography, Philosophy, Computers, English and Bengali and scored a perfect hundred in Geography and Philosophy, wants to be a historian.
Among girls Arkadipta Ghosh and Anima Garai have jointly secured the first position with 97.2 percent each. Garai from Bankura Ranibandh School is an arts student.
“It is a matter of pride for those pursuing career in humanities,” said Education Minister Partho Chatterjee hoping “this year’s result might throw open a new vista for those willing to take arts but have to pursue science because career issues. The results have shown that those who pursue arts also have good future.”